As Lake County families look for ways to deal with the summer heat, the Waukegan Park District’s Splash Zone at Corrine J. Rose Park is a place where parents’ admission is free as long as they bring their children.
Featuring six water slides, a hose to spray a stream of water and a 10-foot-tall bucket dumping approximately 1,000 gallons of water on nearly everyone there every 10 minutes, the Splash Zone provides relief from the heat and a concession area with drinks for hydration.
“It’s a really big relief,” Flor Garcia, who was there with her two children, said earlier in the week. “They have a lot of fun, and it’s really affordable.”
“I like that bucket when all the water comes down,” added Joshua Mata Garcia, her son and a sixth grader at Neal Math and Science Academy in North Chicago.
Splash Zone attendance more than doubled from Friday through Monday in Rose Park near Belvidere Road and Lewis Avenue in Waukegan, and Park District officials anticipate similar crowds this weekend with warmer-than-usual temperatures in the forecast.
Tony Strack, the Park District’s aquatics supervisor, said that on a normal day, between 100 and 200 people come to the Splash Zone. There were more than 400 each day a few days ago when the temperature was in the mid to high 90s, with a heat index of over 100 degrees.
Garcia’s comments about the pricing — she pays the out-of-town rate as a North Chicago resident — were a common theme among visitors on Tuesday. People like different things about the facility, but those interviewed all liked the price.
“It helps the kids stay busy, and it’s very affordable,” Jaci Pacheco, who was there with her children, said. “They’re able to stay cool and have fun.”
“It’s a way to beat the heat and the sun,” added Patty Ramirez, who was there with her children, ages 4 and 3. “And, it’s affordable.”
Strack said the cost is $4 a day for Park District residents, and $7 for nonresidents. Adults get in free. Park District Executive Director Jay Lerner said the pricing is in keeping with the organization’s philosophy of providing affordable programs at a low cost. Some are free.
Open weekdays from noon to 7 p.m., Strack said the Splash Zone is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends.
With lifeguards in place to ensure users of the water slides are at least 42 inches tall, Lerner said the Splash Zone is a way to provide water recreation where the cost is significantly lower than it would be at an outdoor pool. The Fieldhouse Sports, Fitness and Aquatics Center has an indoor pool.
“It provides some backup supervision as well,” Lerner said, referring to the adults.
Dangerous heat will likely make a number of appearances over the summer. Zachary Yack, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service based in the Chicago area, said people should prepare for more.
“We’ll have times the heat index is in the hundreds, like it was last weekend,” Yack said. “We’ll reach that several times over the rest of the summer. The long-term forecast is for temperatures on the warmer side of normal. It depends on the storms we get, so there is still some uncertainty about how warm we will actually get.”
Yack said there will be storms over the summer, but whether it will be wetter than usual remains uncertain.
Adjacent to the Splash Zone is a splash pad. There are no slides or other similar play elements, but Strack said they offer younger children and those with special needs a place to get cool in a quieter environment. There are also splash pads at the Greg Petry SportsPark, as well as Clearview, Bowen and Bedrosian parks.
When the Splash Zone is not open to the public, it is used by youngsters in the Park District’s various summer camp programs. Each Thursday from noon to 1:30 p.m., there will be special activities like crafts.
